Justin Arapari

Justin Mahai Arapari (26 September 1947 — 6 May 2020) was a French Polynesian politician. He served as president of the Assembly of French Polynesia from 1996 to 2001. He was a member of Tahoera'a Huiraatira.

Arapari was born in Mahaena and was educated at l'école centrale in Papeete.[1] After working as a photography laboratory technician, he trained as a Protestant priest, graduating in 1972.[1] He spent four years in Maharepa as a priest, before quitting to become a farmer and enter politics.[1]

He contested the 1977 election as a candidate for Nedo Salmon's "New Polynesian Thought" list, but was unsuccessful.[1] In 1981 he joined Taatiraa Porinetia.[1] In February 1982 he joined Gaston Flosse's Tahoera'a Huiraatira, and four years later was its general secretary.[2]

He was elected to the Assembly of French Polynesia at the 1991 election.[1] He was re-elected at the 1996 election and elected President of the Assembly.[2][3] Shortly after being elected he was convicted of misuse of corporate assets while a director of SETIL and given an eight-month suspended prison sentence.[1] In 1999 he was indicted for illegal taking of interests while working for OPT.[1] In 2001 he split with Flosse, attempting to form a breakaway Tahoera'a list and later founding the Manahune Party.[2]

Following his departure from politics he was investigated for his involvement in the "phantom jobs scandal".[4] He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment.[5] The conviction was upheld on appeal in 2012, and he was sentenced to two years imprisonment (suspended) and a five million XPF fine.[6]